Gridiron steals some of hoops' madness

Published: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 10:18 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 10:18 p.m.

The consensus heading into the NCAA men's basketball tournament was, it was wide open. Fans of the college game were certainly aware that there had not been a clear-cut No. 1 team in the land all year. It seemed like every time a team climbed to the top of the AP Top 25 poll, it would lose the very next week.

But I don't think anyone could have predicted what unfolded in the tournament last week. La Salle had to play in the "First Four" just to get in what most people still consider the first round of the tournament. Low and behold, the Explorers now find themselves in the Sweet 16. The Atlantic 10 was considered one of the best conferences in basketball, and while Temple, VCU and Saint Louis all left the tourney early, the Explorers are still standing. La Salle will face another upstart, Wichita State, which knocked off Gonzaga in the second round. The appropriately named Shockers are a No. 9 seed, and probably never dreamt they would be playing a No. 13 seed in the Sweet 16. But that's exactly what will happen Thursday night, and the winner will play Saturday in the West regional final for a trip to next weekend's Final Four.

Oregon, which is noticeable for its uniforms if nothing else, also slashed a few brackets by winning two games as a No 12 seed. But the Ducks are 28-8, and they are ready for top seed Louisville on Friday. They, too, have a chance to shock the basketball world and break right on through to the Final Four.

And then there's the biggest shocker of them all, Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles, a 15 seed, have soared like Eagles through the first week of the tournament in very convincing fashion. Their win over No. 2 Georgetown was no fluke, and they poured it on in the second half to run away from San Diego State. Florida Gulf Coast's last loss was on Feb. 22, to Atlantic Sun Conference foe Stetson. That loss came in the same week as a loss to Lipscomb, and that was the Eagles' second loss of the year to mighty Lipscomb. What gives?

Whatever happens Friday night when the Eagles face in-state foe Florida, Florida Gulf Coast has stolen the show of this tournament in the first week. Chase Fieler's alley-oop dunk against Georgetown was one for the ages, and Eric McKnight threw one down against San Diego State that was equally impressive.

So, how are all of these upsets popping up all over the place? I truly believe the early defections of college players to the NBA has changed the college landscape dramatically. There are no dominant teams any more, because the top-notch programs only have their players for one, maybe two years at a time. Then those stars jump to the NBA, and those teams have to rebuild their rosters from scratch.

The NCAA needs to put a rule in place in basketball like it has in baseball. If a player enters college to play basketball, he should be required to stay for three years. The NBA should help with this rule, and remove its age limit rule. The NBA thought it was doing college basketball a favor by forcing players to go to college for a year. I think it's changed the college game for the worse.

Fans need to be able to develop a bond with the players that represent their schools. And, at the end of the day, these are supposed to be "student" athletes. How much of a student does someone need to be if he's only coming to school to play basketball for one year?

When fans develop relationships with players, they can invest their hearts into those teams. Look at what's happening in the NFL — Brian Urlacher and Ed Reed are leaving Chicago and Baltimore, the only teams they have ever played for, over a little bit of money. And yes, when you've been an All-Pro caliber player for a decade, a million or two is a little bit of money. Roger Goodell needs to establish a Larry Bird exception for NFL teams, allowing them to pay veterans what they want without hurting the team's salary cap. It just won't seem right seeing Reed in a Texans' uniform this fall, or Urlacher in another uniform.

That leads to a lack of veteran leadership and team development. But, hey, Florida Gulf Coast isn't complaining about that one bit.

Jason Queen can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 220, or jason.queen@the-dispatch.com.

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